Yang Cheng's "Batman origin" backstory in To Be Hero X episode 5 has fans in tears

Considering the anime's cliffhanger ending last week, fans wished to learn who killed Moon in To Be Hero X episode 5. With that, they expected the anime to focus on the protagonist Lin Ling as he pursues Moon's "E-Soul-looking" executioner, but that's not what happened.

Surprisingly, the anime switched up its chronology and started showing events from the past, focusing on a character called Yang Cheng. Ya Cheng was an E-Soul stage actor who was struggling to gain any trust value while juggling his love life and work. While his story seemed interesting, something that stuck with the fans was his "Batman origin" backstory.

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How is Yang Cheng's backstory in To Be Hero X episode 5 similar to Batman's origin?

As Batman fans would know, in most versions of the vigilante's backstory, Bruce Wayne's origin as Batman stems back to when he was eight years old. After watching a premiere of The Mark of Zorro in a theater with his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce insists that the family take a shortcut through Crime Alley to reach their pickup location.

While the family passes through Crime Alley, a thief approaches them from the shadows, holding them at gunpoint, demanding money. While Thomas tries to defuse the situation, the thief kills both Thomas and Martha Wayne in cold blood, leaving Bruce all by himself, mortified from witnessing his parents' deaths firsthand.

Yang Cheng as seen in To Be Hero X episode 5 (Image via Pb Animation Co. Ltd., LAN Studio, Paper Plane Animation Studio)

To Be Hero X episode 5 features a similar backstory for Yang Cheng. When he was just six years old, a couple of thieves attacked his family, killing both his parents. However, in this situation, the thieves did not leave Yang Cheng but decided to bring him with them to sell. Just as one thief caught hold of the boy, he was distracted by a sound that came from behind him.

E-Soul defeated the two thieves in mere seconds, finally allowing Yang Cheng to check up on his parents. Just as he realized his parents had passed away, E-Soul tried to console him, amidst his grave loss.

E-Soul as seen in To Be Hero X episode 5 (Image via Pb Animation Co. Ltd., LAN Studio, Paper Plane Animation Studio)

While Bruce Wayne was able to use his family's wealth to become Batman, Yang Cheng had no such option. In fact, he did not gain a single Trust Value, leaving him powerless. It was only later, when Yang Cheng was 22 years old, that he received his first Trust Value while protecting Xia Qing's younger brother from two kidnappers.

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Fans' reaction to Yang Cheng's backstory in To Be Hero X episode 5

Yang Cheng as seen in To Be Hero X episode 5 (Image via Pb Animation Co. Ltd., LAN Studio, Paper Plane Animation Studio)

Most fans instantly connected Yang Cheng's origin story to Batman's origin in the comic books and movies. They did not expect To Be Hero X episode 5 to start this way and credited the anime for its storytelling.

"This was very Batman of you To be Hero X," one fan said.

"IDC ABOUT THE BATMAN IMAGERY YAN CHENG IS MY SPIDERMAN AHHH," another fan said.

"Was Yang Cheng's past inspired by Batman's? Then why does he have Spider-Man's financial life? Man, there is no human being with a peaceful life in this anime," another fan added.

Meanwhile, other fans sympathized with Yang Cheng. This is because while he had a Batman-like origin story, his financial condition was nowhere close to the Waynes but like Spider-Man's. Thus, all they could think was why no human being had a peaceful life in this anime.

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